A group of Portagers is doing their part to ensure no more students are turned away from sports.

Cam McLean is the executive director of the Portage Youth Sports Committee. He and a few friends had spoken about the need for a group like this in the city. After some deliberation, he decided it was time to put his money where his mouth is.

The committee will provide camps to teach children in Portage how to play certain sports.

"The two sports we're focused on right away is going to be volleyball and soccer," explains McLean. "Then we would like to, down the road, look at expanding into other things and trying to grow that system."

McLean adds that they're hoping to make it so kids have something to do year-round, so they don't have to wait for nice weather. They're also hoping for both indoor and outdoor sports.

As the committee continues to grow, they hope that they will be able to make teams that will compete in leagues, something their volleyball side has already done with VISION in Winnipeg.

"Right now, what we'd be looking for is people volunteering their time," says McLean. "At the given state that we're in, the ideal situation would be for people to come forward, talk to someone within our committee, put their name forward, and see if they're interested in either doing volunteer work or coaching or helping out at camps, whatever they feel comfortable doing."

McLean hopes that the committee will be able to organize local camps and programs for any sports in Portage with a significant following in the future.

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